$700.00 AudioQuest Nighthawk Burn-In Update

[@boristrejos9169]

I am an audiophile and have Senns HD800s, Fostex TR-X00, Aeon flow closed, Hifiman Sundaras, HD 600 among others and I just keep going back to my Nighthawk Carbons when I just wanna enjoy my music since these are so musical and fun, dark but still detailed and clear, and man, that awesome extended bass!. They´re so unique and special they WILL never ever leave my cans collection for sure. ´Nuff said.

[@ANSWERTHECALLOFJESUSCHRIST]

You don't have to mention you're an audiophile. You mentioning you own those headphones is enough, ha-ha. YES! I so agree with you that the AudioQuest are so unique and special. I currently own the LCD-X, HD 6XX, Elegia, Aeon Open X, DT 990 Pro, DT 880 Edition 600 ohm, T90 Jubilee, Amiron home, HE-5XX, and the NightHawk Carbon, and those are in their own category. EDIT: I think only the Aeon Open X have some of the things that make it special. The LCD-X sound clearer and more real than the rest, but they're not engaging to me. They sound amazing to me, but just don't make me feel emotion like the NightHawk Carbon and the Aeon Open X.

[@silasowen24]

Hey just curious if there's an update on these and what's going on with them.

[@theonetuby]

Got my nighthawk a few days ago and I’m around twenty hours of burn in. I think it gets better every time I listen. The rubber surrounding the drivers seems to need it. I’ve been binging on your channel and it’s great. Presentation means a lot and separates you from the other tiny aspiring headphone channels. Your vids are well set, well lighted and well shot. Make them whatever length you want and I’ll be watching. 🍻

[@JoshuaValour]

Jamie Kinseth thanks alot buddy! That is very nice of you.

[@tpacalypse]

Owned these and the nightowl. Ended up selling the nightowl and kept these. Remember to EQ them and they can sound fantastic. Using them with the Fiio Btr5 believe it or not and they sound really nice and powerful.

[@ANSWERTHECALLOFJESUSCHRIST]

I love my NightHawk Carbon as is. 😁👍

[@soraflame66]

You dont really need to EQ these but yes thay are fantastic

[@Yosho359]

Love the video and the outtake at the end. Thanks for leaving it in. Any updates? I’m considering these and the NightOwls. Both can be had in the $300-350ish range.

[@falcon048]

It's been a year, surely you have reached the 150 hrs. BTW, I burned mine in using a combination of sinewave progression and white/pink noise. You leave them covered for days and you can shorten your burn in time and see a more realistic change in sound because the changes are more fresh in your mind.

[@brunonkowalski]

The change is only in your mind. Burn in is a myth :)

[@sac666_]

@@brunonkowalski Not for these, they definitely do subtly change, won't say the same for any others I owed.

[@Larstig81]

The driver is almost the same as from loudspeakers, they also need to burnin the first time. This is because the suspension is stiff.

[@warfam_clan6933]

@@brunonkowalski It's not a myth. Dynamic headphones are mechanical. The moving parts become more fluent with prolonged use. This fluency in the coils and general loosening up of connecting materials translates into small changes in the sound signature. With some headphones, these small changes are apparent and the Nighthawks are one of these pairs.

[@PaulClay46masonWV]

They needed more than 150hrs and they got better with age. Amp was the key. A hybrid amp.. I still use the Music Hall PH 25.2

[@tpacalypse]

Which cable did you recommend for these again? Checked the description but couldn't find it.

[@markbrown3448]

I own the original NightHawks and the NightOwls. I honestly prefer the NightHawk OG over the NightOwls unless I want a closed can for listening around others. I haven't had the chance to listen to the NightHawk Carbon. Both the OG NightHawk and NightOwl Carbon are fantastic headphones with a great strap design with a beyond sucky cable that is easily replaced. The best way I can describe the original NightHawk is that it's like listening to speakers in a listening room except you are wearing headphones. That unique aspect is what keeps me going back to the NightHawks over other headphone designs with a more typical headphone listening experience that may be more accurate but can also sound more sterile and antiseptic. I've paired the Audioquest headphones with a Grace M9XX and they sound phenomenal to my ears.

[@ANSWERTHECALLOFJESUSCHRIST]

"The best way I can describe the original NightHawk is that it's like listening to speakers in a listening room except you are wearing headphones." Six months too late, but that's precisely what I think of my NightHawk Carbon. The soundstage sounds to me like it's set inside another soundstage. People probably confuse that with them being dark or missing highs. I for one think they're too bright on some occasions. I've had mine for over a year and I've yet to reach 10-15 hours of cumulative use, but they are crazy good and still impress me every time I pull them out. They don't sound worse than my 2021 LCD-X, HD 8XX, Aeon Open X, Amiron home, Focal Elegia and others. Just different. I'm still giggling that I got them for $299.99 on clearance at Crutchfield. Too bad the pleather is peeling out of the blue, and I baby them as if they were going to blow up.

[@RightToBearArms82]

Thank you Joshua, you and Z are my go to reviewers for audio/headphone advice. Your nighthawk observations is spot.

[@theonetuby]

Did you get rid of your Nighthawks? What’s the story, dude?

[@timothyfreeseha4056]

Yes! They can do the heavy lifting! This is an idea that could catch on...thank you.

[@timothyfreeseha4056]

I have read and I can confirm that these headphones have multiple personalities within,.Depending on your source and Amp, they can be great or awful...gosh, like a lot of speakers actually.

[@tonydillinger8678]

So as far as burning goes sometimes I let my 400 eyes just play for about 4 hours straight while I'm doing other things, is it a good thing to let headphones in this case planar, to run up to 5 hours straight or is it better to let them rest for a while?

[@bradulovic82]

Problem with these headphones is that there is so many other headphones for (and under) $700 that don't need to be burned-in for 150 hours. You need to really love their sound to endure all that trouble just to get them to optimal level. p.s. I totally agree that company should (at least) do the half of that burn-in time, they sell and give you 30 day return period to decide on a product that isn't "finished".

[@JoshuaValour]

Boris Radulovic 100% on board for me. I kinda find it ridiculous.

[@MFillmore]

Burn in really shouldn't be a factor. You can just leave it running. Also pretty much everything you should burn in if not just to give your brain time to adjust to new sound signatures over the course of a week or so.

[@JoshuaValour]

Millard Fillmore i think it depends on what you are looking for. If I WANT to hear the difference between headphones, I think that acclimation could be a bad thing. I think it keeps things fresh. Kinda the same reason I keep the hd600’s around. It’s not because they are the best. It’s because they are a fantastic baseline to “reset” my ears. Prep myself for a different flavor offered by another pair of cans.

[@Tacet137]

If you want them to sound good get a solid state amp that is "energetic", has a lot of power reserve, even when not used more power on stock usually opens the sound. They also need a Good DAC... In my system they sound best from CD Player when using quality records and better CD formats like SHM CD or Blue-Spec CDs.

[@TheWeaksoup]

I want this headphones but I couldn't find them anywhere else. Any suggestion for an HP that have similar sound signature? I like impactful bass and smooth treble. Mainly I will use it for non competitive gaming. Thanks!

[@zosmanovic9763]

D5200.

[@dmarcus1260]

Over the course of two weeks I burned mine in for 150 hours. I thought the sound signature only changed slightly if at all. Frustrated I decided to sell them.

[@brunonkowalski]

Yes, because burning in is a myth :)

[@ikaruga24]

I am coming in two years later and these are selling in my country (the last couple of models left) around the 340€ mark. Are these better than something like the Senn HD650's who sell for the same price? I do have an amp/DAC but it's not powerful (IFI Zen DAC) and my current best headphones are the original Fidelio X2's but after nearly 7 years the pads are starting to tear up and mine are not replaceable. So now i am at a crossroads, there is the beyerdynamic Tygr 300 which sells at about 150€ that i have my eye on, the normal HD 600 which is around 290€, the HD 650 around 330€ and this Nighthawk model for about the same as the 650. Now, i know this is a wide price difference between all of them but the question is whether these have so much difference between one another that it really does warrant going above the 150€ mark and especially for the Nighthawk model as it is a higher end speced headphone than any of these if older. Unfortunately no way to test them out myself so i am going blind.

[@markbrown3448]

I had the Senn HD650s and really liked them. I do prefer the NightHawks by a fair margin and I sold the HD650s to help buy the closed version of the Nighthawk, the NightOwl when I found a pair for sale on an audio forum. For those with ears that enjoy the NightHawk sound signature it is kind of like aural nirvana since it is a very different listening experience. The NHs are very polarizing headphones and people either seem to love them or hate them without much middle ground on the opinions. The NightHawks are easy to drive and scale very well with a balanced cable. They sound very good on fair to middling equipment but can also sound even better on higher end gear. I'm currently using them mainly with an unbalanced cable to a Grace M9XX DAC/amp and they sound fantastic with FLAC files on my PC. I found the NH headphones and Grace M9XX used over the years and would recommend this combo to anyone looking for an opinion.

[@ikaruga24]

@@markbrown3448 Thank you for the answer even if it's too late now as i already got myself a pair of LCD-1. Perfectly paired with both my FiiO BTR-5 and Zen DAC, not to mention my gaming machines.

[@markbrown3448]

@@ikaruga24 great choice with the LCD-1. If you find a used pair of Nighthawks I think they are worth adding to a headphone 🎧 collection for their dare to be different design and sound signature that makes it kind of a unicorn and worth adding to the stable.

[@ikaruga24]

@@markbrown3448 I so wanted to try them for sure but the pandemic stopped me from gambling into something i might hate. I will be on the lookout for them NH though as it certainly feels they need to be given a chance.

[@MFillmore]

Tbh I love the nighthawks but they are a tad too dark sounding at times. You might want to try a planar magnetic like the LCD-2C because they accomplish even better bass without sacrificing details.

[@warfam_clan6933]

These are not dark at all. Every micro-detail is there to be heard. Nothing is missing. You just have to allow yourself time away from other headphones to fully appreciate them. I have owned Audeze LCD-2C, Audeze LCD-XC, and Senn HD800s all in the last 12 months and the Nighthawks are simply better than all of them, no competition.

[@michaelu8474]

Hey Joshua, you should check out the Hifiman’s Edition S. Btw, do you have any recommendations for portable headphones?

[@JoshuaValour]

I have heard some wonderful things about those. Are IEM's out of the question?

[@michaelu8474]

Joshua Valour Yes, and I have zero experience with iems.

[@JoshuaValour]

Bluetooth?

[@michaelu8474]

No thanks. Portable on-ear/over-ear headphones only.:-)

[@JoshuaValour]

I feel Sennheiser Momentum are a really good, portable headphone. Not to crazy expensive. A pleasant sound signature. And they don't look ridiculous when you are walking around. Not the absolute best for sound quality. But, defintely a good all-rounder.

[@gravity_assisted]

Great review.

[@danrdey]

We like the video ,thanx !

[@mikhailtessier1]

Hey Josh what amp/dacs do you have?

[@gravity_assisted]

Fulla 2

[@JoshuaValour]

And a little dot, now. Lookingg at maybe a dark voice.

[@PaulClay46masonWV]

I hated them in the beginning. It's letting the brain adjust to what you’re hearing (let them break in) then a minimum of three songs played for your hearing to adjust, then listen. Yeah, I know 5yrs old

[@MinT-10]

Love this 🎧

[@cosmoshfa88savant66]

just won a pair on ebay,,open box never used £160 will be here next week,,,,good price,,,

[@zosmanovic9763]

Lucky F**k

[@BobHodas]

My how things have changed.

[@vinhcomputer]

The design of these headphones has a fatal flaw in that in doesn't take the shape of the ear into consideration, this make the presence region is subdued too much and make the 500Hz to below region more prominent (though quite snooth). Treble quality (smoothness) is also an issue. The cables they included have different impedence that can change the sound. Good for a cable seller to "prove" their main product.

[@dawidwolnik628]

why are they not burn in? if the headphones require it

[@Tacet137]

Dawid Wolnik If you want to spend 200 more sure... Time is money... especially for companies and buisness

[@dawidwolnik628]

Raizel Kuroi for this Money i want IT all

[@StraightEdgeAlexxx31]

thats funny. about 50 hours in on my nighthawks and i think the soundstage has widened.

[@OneDicz]

NPC #329091 placebo effect

[@roxy_xcxc6869]

😅Rise of Gods of all Headset AudioQuest is coming soon.

[@mauriciovzqs973]

Why didn't you just buy the regular wood color one for 400$ less?

[@JoshuaValour]

mauriciovzqs973 couple reasons. 1 resale value of these has less of a loss than the standard nighthawks. And I get to review something hardly anyone else has. (Even though it is the same thing, most people don’t know that).

[@mauriciovzqs973]

Joshua Valour I already have a pair of HD600 , do you think it's worth getting these ? Is either these (the 300$ wood version ) or the Audeze EL8 for 340$

[@JoshuaValour]

mauriciovzqs973 i would try the audeze. That is an amazing deal. The nighthawks are a big gamble. Some people love them and some hate them. But I always see good things about the el8s.

[@TheVegas2100]

Here something about the Burn in process. Its german but by the measurements you can see the difference. forum.prof-x.de/viewtopic.php?t=223